Credit Card Thread - Now with a Beginner's Guide to free travel/FAQ

By both cards you mean the plus and the premium? And it's best to wait until 1/1 so we get the companion fare for basically 2 years?

 

Can you still transfer Chase UR points directly to Southwest?

 

Yes

Yes and yes. Need to hit minimum spend after 1/1, not get the card

 

Thanks. Managed to find the option after I posted.

 

You could a month or so ago. However I got a better deal booking through chase using my CSR points. You just have to call to book since southwest flights dont show up on their website.

 

Well you can either book through the Chase portal (by calling them), or you can transfer your UR points to Southwest points. I did some math and the points were valued from 1.49 - 1.63 cents/point. Lil bit better than the 1.5 cent/point that my CSR gets me.

 

Depends on the flight I guess. Don't they transfer 1:1? I just looked at how many points through southwest.com and then called chase. It ended up being about a few thousand points cheaper per ticket through chase.

The question I had was, if I did transfer the points to southwest to purchase the tickets, wouldn't I lose the trip protections from purchasing through chase and using the CSR? If so, thats something to consider.

 

Yes it depended on the flight on if it was worth it or not. It transferred 1:1 for points.

 

They have $11 fees which I put on CSR

 

So I apply on 1/1 or apply in December and hit the spend after 1/1?

 

After looking into it, applying in December would be best. Only thing that sucks is it probably won't be a 60k bonus come that time.

 

Hit minimum spend as soon after 1/1 as possible

 

Well then you wouldn't get the companion right? What's the min spend/number of months currently?

 

2k in 3 months for the 60k bonus. The miles post on the following statement. So hit in late December, come January credit you get companion for the rest of the calendar year as well as the year following. That's my understanding at least.

 

Next quarter for Chase Freedom is 5% for restaurants and movie theaters.

 

This is another easy one to max out.

 

Having done the companion pass trick twice now, I think it's pointless to sign up for one and not sign up for a second under the same name/account. It's too easy to get.

And unless meeting the minimum spend is an issue, I'd recommend not waiting until 1/1. You aren't gaining anything by waiting if you commit to doing it every 2 years. You and the wife switch off after it expires every other year.

 

Merrill+ is the GOAT card. I used half of my signup bonus on a flight just now. $757.16 for half my signup bonus on a no AF card.

The rule is 25000 points for any flight up to $500. I got a $495 flight and requested exit row seats and American agreed. So I'm Main Cabin Extra on four flights, which was a $250 upgrade, free

 

Did you get in when the 50k offer was online?

I saw on Reddit that some people have had luck getting the 50k by doing a phone app.

Haven't opened an account in a few months so I should be good for this one.

 

Yeah I got 50k and only used 25,000 on this amazing flight. Definitely get it if you can get 50,000

 

So, I just signed up for the Southwest Plus card. How long do I need to wait before I try to sign up for the Premier card as well? I would be doing both personal cards, not the business card.

 

Both in same day is best. But I've gotten them a week apart. Just be prepared with some reason to have both cards (good signup bonus, need more credit line, need to keep expenses separate) if they ask

 

So on the second application, I got the review screen, where it said they'll let me know by mail in the next 30 days. I'm assuming that's not a good thing.

 

Anyone with the Alaska card, can you use the companion fare for first/business or only for coach tickets?

 

It's not a bad thing, either.

I would give them a call to ask what additional information they are looking for. Sometimes it's as simple as moving around your credit line or verifying your identity or income.

Chase reconsideration line 888-270-2127

 

Economy only

 

I lied PJP3 you can use it to upgrade too

 

Got an offer for a Hilton honors card with 80,000 point signup bonus. It's a zero annual fee card, so that's a no-brainer right?

 

80,000 Hilton points isn't quite as much as you think

 

I figured that had to be the case. Might not be worth the hassle of dealing with another card then.

 

80k points with no fee you definitely do that

 

I've had the Discover Cashback Match card for 2 months now, putting all spending on it. I'm averaging just over $60 per month in cash back and have some big business travel months coming up. Should be no problem getting to $700-800 throughout the first year, which Discover will match and double to $1400-1600. Hard to beat that with a no fee card.

 

Totally forgot to call chase back, as I've been busy. Got a letter in the mail today that I'm approved for the second southwest card, they just had to move some credit around, as you mentioned.

Companion pass incoming...

 

Welcome to the club

 

just got confirmation that my Chase Ink Business Preferred Card was approved. Applied 5/31

It took so long b/c I put my new address on the application, while my other Chase accounts had my old address

 

Anyone ever run into problems getting full points/miles because you're booking travel through a corporate travel portal? e.g. concur, travel inc.

 

only hotels when I'm on a master bill

 

I'm debating between getting a Delta Amex or the CSR; I'm averaging 7k a month in reimbursable travel expenses. But I think I'd have to book directly through the airline to get the Delta/Amex rewards. I've been using the Citi 2% card.

 

CSR all day

 

what is making this a close race for you?

 

Ignorance.

and wanting to get airline status as fast as possible.

 

I have both. I'm just using the Delta Platinum for the bonus and statement credit. CSR, no question.

 

All the fucking time

 

What cards have you run into issues with? Which ones have you had success with?

 

Just want to say thank you to the Chase Sapphire Reserve for my trip to Tokyo tomorrow morning.

You the real MVP.

 

Nice. What airline did you end up with?

 

United to Chicago. Then Al Nippon Airways from Chicago to Narita (riding dirty in coach though). Hotel and airfare all booked with points.

 

No it's the travel sites that aren't rewarding my airline and hotel accounts. If I put it on my Reserve I get the 3x points.

 

Same. Hotwire or other travel sites won't give me points at most of my loyalty programs.